Travel Through The Sun Scorched Splatlands And Prepare To Get Back Into The Ink With Splatoon 3
The Inklings and Octolings are back in Splatoon 3 and this time the battlefield will take them to the sun scorched desert known as the Splatlands and the adrenaline-fueled heart of all the chaos – Splatsville. Nintendo closed out their latest Nintendo Direct presentation on February 17th, 20212 with a sneak peek at the upcoming Nintendo Switch title which currently has a tentative release date of 2022 but Nintendo promises that more information will be coming soon. Splatoon originally launched back in May 2015 exclusively for Nintendo Wii U with Splatoon 2 releasing two years later in July 2017 exclusively for Nintendo Switch with amiibo compatibility and special features including signature outfits, visual themes, sound effects, and personal options such as favourite weapons, gear, outfits, and more.
The trailer opens with an Inkling hunkered down in the desert and gives players a first glimpse at the customization options available for their character including hairstyle, skin tone, eye colour, and legwear; additional options might be available upon release. Players will also be accompanied by a Salmonid creature called Smallfry, with options to change its hairstyle before proceeding to the main event. Another notable change to the customization options is the absence of traditional gender identification – Inkling boy or Inkling girl – with Nintendo instead rebranding it as STYLE which has been both praised and well received in the gaming and LGBTQ+ community.
The trailer did not offer a lot of additional information about gameplay mechanics or game modes for the latest installment of the popular Splatoon franchise but Nintendo does have a few tidbits on the Splatoon page on the official Nintendo website. One of the biggest takeaways is that the popular 4v4 Turf War mode will return with new stages, new maneuvers, and new weapons including a bow and arrow which was briefly seen being used in the trailer and is capable of launching three strings of ink simultaneously. Additionally, Inklings will be able to traverse the area with two new moves including the Squid Roll which allows players to leap and twirl out of their ink pool and Squid Surge which allows players to quickly swim up ink-covered walls and jump out once it reaches the top.
Those who missed the latest Nintendo Direct on February 17th, 2021 can view the entire 50-minute presentation on the official Nintendo Direct website as well as on the official Nintendo YouTube channel.
Splatoon 3 is scheduled to release sometime in 2022 exclusively for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite.
